Stand by for Rain: The Wellington Test Review

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this test series - notwithstanding Gautam Gambhir's defensive masterclass in Napier, and Chris Martin driving Harbhajan Singh down the ground for four - was the fact that it was not until the final day of the third test that the rain had a say in the proceedings. Considering how the weather had played havoc with much of New Zealand's one-day season, even the games against the West Indies, it was a bit of a miracle. Looking at the outcome objectively, you could either say it was a shame that rain reared its ugly head to effectively rob India of a deserved 2-0 victory margin, or contest that rain is after all another crucial variable which has once again added a twist to a fascinating test match.

Even if much of the test was one-way traffic, there was drama right from the start. Daniel Vettori's decision to field first cannot really be faulted, though it could also be construed as a lack of belief in his batsmen to put a big score on the board in a crunch game. It was a gamble that looked to have come apart when the Indian openers cashed in on some wayward bowling in the first session, but was mostly justified when the Indians were nine down at the close of play and bowled out soon into the next morning. The problem was India's total of 379 was about 70 runs too many. Despite a classy Tendulkar fifty, the Indian batsmen were rather careless in the second session and succumbed to loose strokes. The kiwi bowlers clawed their way through India's top order, having them struggling at 204 for 6 after tea, but their tiredness following a marathon bowling stint in the previous test was all too apparent. Harbhajan Singh, who is capable of some real damage with the bat on his day, decided to chance his arm and NZ's pacemen fell into the trap of trying to bounce out the lower order. It was a frustrating end to the day for the kiwis, for it meant they would now have to run up another huge total to have any chance of dictating terms in the match.

A Breezy Effort

The one distinctive feature about playing at the Basin Reserve is having to contend with the strong Wellington wind. Iain O'Brien, who often assumes the role as an "into the wind specialist" for Wellington at the first class level will testify to that. For the bowler coming in with the wind behind him, however, it can be an ally and Zaheer Khan sized up the conditions perfectly. In what could be seen as his coming-of-age as a thinking bowler, Zaheer shortened his run up, allowing the wind to do the work for him. Getting swing and seam movement, he also used the short ball judiciously which was particularly effective in prising out both Tim McIntosh and Martin Guptill. He took the first four wickets to fall, including the vital wicket of Jesse Ryder for a single-figure score, and returned to claim Tim Southee in what was one of his finest five-wicket hauls ever in tests. At the other end, he found perfect support from Harbhajan Singh, who caused all sorts of problems after Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma found the breeze hard to deal with. Still, it was all rather insipid from NZ, coming as it did on the back of a huge score on the benign Napier wicket. Conditions here were more challenging, but they had no business being rolled out for under 200. Ross Taylor was the one batsman to show complete application, which was a pleasing sign after his chancy strokeplay in the previous test.

The Encore

Conditions had eased up by the time India batted again, and though Sehwag let himself down for the fifth time this series, Gautam Gambhir was a revelation once more. With a huge lead to play with, he proceeded to compile a classy 167 which was as effortless as the Napier innings was gritty. It was a clinical effort, very much in keeping with India's performance as a highly professional five-day unit in recent times. It does, for the moment, bring a sense of permanence to India's top order, and that is extremely crucial given that a change of guard in the middle order is imminent. Perhaps the highlight of the third day was the amazing anticipatory catch Brendon McCullum pulled off when Rahul Dravid played a pre-meditated sweep. Apart from that, the only real moment of consolation for NZ as India racked up 434 was Chris Martin equaling Danny Morrison's tally of 160 test wickets. Dhoni's timing of the declaration, with a lead of 616, came in for much questioning later from the media. But it was understandable that a series win was uppermost on his mind.

NZ were faced with five sessions to bat out a draw, and after slipping predictably to 84 for 4 (including the anti-climatic dismissal of Jesse Ryder for a duck), they finally displayed the resistance that had been badly lacking for the better part of the series. Ross Taylor, unusually watertight, and James Franklin, gradually growing accustomed to life as a middle order batsman, saw them through to stumps. The odds on an Indian win had, however lengthened due to the threat of rain, but they still could have finished off the job the next day. Taylor reached a well deserved century the next day, an innings that bodes extremely well for NZ's test prospects in the future, but played all over a Harbhajan special to open the floodgates. As is so often the case, where the seamers fail, Sachin Tendulkar will lift up the team. In possibly his final cricketing passage in kiwiland, Tendulkar snuffed out Franklin for 49 and (controversially) Brendon McCullum, to put India on the threshold of victory. In hindsight, a stubborn stand from Vettori and O'Brien saved the day for NZ as the showers came with the score at 281. With the the threat of rain always looming, NZ perhaps could claim some brownie points for doing enough to hang in there and let the elements take over.

Dhoni's delayed declaration came in for major scrutiny from the media, but it was simply in keeping with these times where safety-first is the order of the day. For a good perspective on this issue, which I mostly agree with, read Sharda Ugra's piece in her India Today column. Nevertheless, the missed opportunity could not take away the feeling that the series was mostly an accurate reflection of the capabilities of the 3rd and 8th ranked test sides in the world. For India, this win was a vital step forward in their quest to close in on the Aussies and South Africans, while the kiwis have to be content with some bright individual moments as they continue their rebuilding process.